Eroninja

Kushina was in heaven as she leaned back against the wall of the shower. The three jets of warm water being delivered via the shower heads did have something to do with it, but it paled in comparison to the feelings being created by her son, who was kneeling before her with his mouth clamped over her pussy. She stared down at the blue eyes looking up from between her thighs as she moaned pleasantly, "Oh Honey, you're kissing my pussy so deeply."

Her soft cries grew louder for a moment as her son hummed contently into her honeypot from her taste of her. Grinding her muff into his mouth, her fingers slipped through his wet hair while the foot of the leg that she had draped over his shoulder rubbed the small of his back encouragingly. Naruto pressed his face into her mound firmer as he tried to get his tongue deeper inside her in order to collect more of her sweet nectar. Kushina's foot began rubbing his back faster and faster as his mother's cries raised in volume letting him know that she was reaching the point where she'd be flooding his mouth with more of her sweet taste. Pulling his tongue from her quim, he began to circle it around her clit causing his mother's hands to grip his hair and the foot rubbing the small of his back to stop as she tensed from the increased stimulus. Feeling the moment was right as she began to pant, he pressed his tongue into her pleasure buzzer causing an electric-like shock to pass though her which caused her to push her pussy into her son's mouth as she stared up at the ceiling screaming out her climax at the top of her lungs while she coated his chin and tongue in her release.

Naruto drank down her essence eagerly looking forward to the fact that his mother seemed inclined to make doing so a part of his daily breakfast. Pulling his mouth away from her pussy, he licked up any traces that he might have missed before turning to kiss the inside of her right thigh on the fox mark that he had placed there showing that she was now his. Rising up to his feet, the leg his mother had perched on his shoulder slipped down to rest on his forearm as he placed his hands on the shower wall behind her. Pressing his body into hers, he kissed her hungrily which she responded to in kind allowing her to taste herself on his lips. She moaned as he then slipped inside her still sensitive cunt making her wrap her arms around his neck as he once more began pounding against the entrance of the womb that had housed him.

Kushina broke the kiss to cry out as his cock reached depths inside her that his father never had. It wasn't that Minato had been a small man only that in just about every category that mattered her son and lover was an improvement. What also impressed her about him was the confidence he displayed in himself. Although they had only been lovers for a single night, Naruto had yet and she suspected would never ask if he was better than his father. She knew that she could perhaps attribute it to the fact that for quite a few of his lovers he was taking the spot of a person that had meant a great deal to the woman in question, and as such had perhaps learned not to ask. However, she doubted it, particularly since as he stared into her eyes while he repeatedly slammed himself into her. Kushina could see that the only thing that mattered, outside of the pleasure he was receiving from her, was that she was happy.

Kushina didn't doubt that her violet eyes were reflecting just how happy she was with the sensations his cock were stirring within her. Yet just in case they weren't she moaned, "Gods Naruto… you're incredible… you're making me feel… fuck… feelings that I didn't know were possible."

Naruto felt his pride swell upon hearing his mother's words and hoping to continue to surpass her previous experiences gave her lips a quick peck before running his tongue down her throat. Reaching her breast, he sucked on the end of it before nipping at her nipple. He ended up groaning in turn as the walls of her pussy began to squeeze him.

"Shit, you're so fucking tight," Naruto grunted pulling his mouth from her breast.

"That's because your cock is so big, Honey," she moaned before nibbling his ear. Sucking on his earlobe she then whispered, "You're the best lover that I've ever had." Her words had the effect that she had hoped for as he began pounding into her even fiercer. Kushina cried out happily even as a part of her wondered if soon she'd be pounded through the wall into the neighboring apartment. She felt her son swell inside her love canal and knew that soon she'd be receiving a fresh injection of his seed.

A heartbeat later she was wailing into his shoulder as she experienced the bliss that she had longed for since shortly after taking Kiyomi's place in the seal, and had received a dozen times over since becoming one of her son's lovers the night before. Her climax seemed to stretch on forever and grew even more intense as Naruto buried his rod as deeply as possible inside her in order to fill her womb with cum.

When they both came down from their orgasmic highs, Naruto let his mother's leg drop down to the ground. With them still feeling rubbery she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a soul-searing kiss until the need to breathe finally caused her to pull away. Staring into his blue eyes adoringly, "I love you Honey." Advertisements

"I love you too, Kushina." He punctuated his sentence by moving the hands he had on her hips down to her butt in order to give it a squeeze.

Loving it, but knowing where it would lead she admonished him slightly, "That's enough of that now, unless you never want to leave this shower."

Naruto pulled away turning off the shower as he stated amused, "I can think of worse ways to kill a morning. Although I do need to meet up with my team for training."

He stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel which he held open so that he could help dry his mother's body, before using it to in turn dry himself. Kushina frowned as he patted away the water from himself due to her wanting to spend more time with him in bed. Adding a seductive purr to her tone, she came up behind him and wrapped her hands around his stomach as she asked, "Why don't you have mommy write you a note saying that you aren't feeling well?"

Naruto smiled before asking, "Really and what would it say was wrong with me?"

Kushina's hands drifted down to his cock which she began to tease as she replied, "It would say that you are experiencing some swelling that I feel should be taken care of before you can properly train."

"It would be difficult for me to concentrate properly," her lover and son said feeling the temptation to give into her suggestion. However, he spun to face her adding, "But, I don't think it would be good to get into the habit of writing fake notes to get out of training, even if it is to spend my mornings with such a sexy and insatiable woman as you."

Kushina pouted but then giggled, "You're calling me insatiable. I'm not the one with the Harem of lovers."

Naruto smirked as he replied teasingly, "Which should really be telling you something." His mother playfully hit his chest, and let out a happy squeal as he picked her up in his arms. They gave each other several quick loving kisses with the last one lingering several moments before he said, "However, there are still a few hours before I need to be anywhere so let's see if we can solve my swelling issue by then."

Carrying his mother like a bride, he took her to the bed that they would likely be sharing whenever he slept in his apartment as opposed to the Den. Setting her down he leaned down to kiss her, but found himself suddenly flipped over onto his back. His mother smiled at him lustfully before saying, "This is to take care of your swelling, remember?

She began kissing down his body, but stiffened as she heard, "Ahem."

Kushina looked up to see Mikoto standing in the doorway that they had left open. The Uchiha was wearing a dark blue silk robe which reached down just below her hips. She wore a soft smile while stating, "So this is what you two have been up to. We wondered why the pair of you missed breakfast especially considering the new presence we felt. But it seems the two of you have partaken of some forbidden fruit."

Despite the lack of recrimination in Mikoto's voice, not to mention that she knew by bearing a fox mark her son's lovers would come to realize sooner or later she had joined their ranks. Kushina felt rather self-conscious at being caught in the act. Something which was easy to hear in her voice as she said, "Miko… I…I can…"

"There's no need to explain," the Uchiha said entering the room. "I've tasted of the same fruit as you. I know it must have been difficult to resist for as long as you did." Kushina relaxed from her friend's words, but was shocked as she added while opening the nightstand drawer next to the bed, "Besides, Ino wouldn't have gone through the trouble of pushing you two together if it would have caused problems within the Family."

Naruto chuckled causing his mother to look at him as Mikoto fished out the orange dildo she had put back after being caught using it by her son. "That's what she meant by mom having prepared something special for me. She somehow knew I'd be interrupting her using that toy that she had made."

Mikoto smiled before taking the dildo and then began to lick the end of it. Her eyes met with Kushina's, who blushed when the Uchiha moaned from imagining the last place she knew it had been used. Running her tongue over the head she then turned it to face Kushina to reveal the seal that it had been marked with which faded seconds later. Answering the unasked question that appeared in both Uzumaki's eyes she explained, "That seal let Ino know whenever you were using her toy, and had the added benefit of dampening any sounds a certain someone might make upon returning home."

That… that…" Kushina said sounding cross while struggling to find the words. However, upon realizing that if not for the Yamanaka, she would have been suffering for weeks, month, or even possibly years before finally succumbing to her desires ended with a grateful sounding, "Delightfully naughty young woman."

Mikoto sat down next to her friend stating, "Indeed, and I to am most grateful that she did."

"Why?" Kushina asked as Mikoto leaned closer to her.

Starting at her chest and lightly tracing the nail of her index finger up the red-head's throat the Uchiha stopped it under her chin before answering with her own question, "Well, do you remember how we used to practice kissing in our rooms?" When Kushina nodded, Mikoto leaned forward stopping with her lips inches away from her friends as she said, "Well sometimes afterwards, I'd fantasize about what it would have been like if our practicing had progressed further. Now I'll finally get to find out the answer."

With that said Mikoto sealed her lips to Kushina's like she had used to back when they had been genin. The red-head's eyes went wide, but relaxed into the kiss to the point that where upon feeling the Uchiha's tongue probe for entry she readily opened her lips. Naruto seared the sight of his mother and her best friend heatedly making out into his brain. Although he had certainly seen two women do so before, he couldn't help feeling as if there was just something magical about it this time around. He suspected it was hearing the backstory that his mom and Mikoto had used to do it when they were younger.

Naruto's dick which hadn't wilted in the slightest from Mikoto's interruption did find a new lever of hardness as the raven-haired woman began to guide his mother onto her back. The two women's heads where pointing towards the foot of the bed giving Naruto a wonderful view of the Uchiha reaching between his mother's legs to begin rubbing her pussy. Kushina moaned into the kiss, which Mikoto ended as she pushed her finger into the Uzumaki's quim. Finding her friend's insides slick still with their lover's seed, she extracted the finger and holding it between them said, "You two must have been at it all night."

Kushina grabbed Mikoto's hand before sucking the finger and moaning from the combined flavor of Naruto and her. Mikoto's pussy flooded from the look of pure lust that the red-head's eyes conveyed as she sucked and ran her tongue around the cum covered digit. Pulling her finger free of Kushina's lips she asked, "How does it make you feel to be sucking the seed that your own son deposited inside you from your best friend's finger?"

"Horny," Kushina replied breathlessly as she sealed her lips to Mikoto's. The two women writhed against each other as their hands explored the other's body. When they separated for air the Uchiha began kissing down Kushina's throat and chest, pausing long enough to tease the red-head's nipples before kissing down her stomach.

Naruto watched eagerly as Mikoto's hips rose into the air while she worked her upper body down his mother's. This had the effect of causing the short robe that she wore to pull up her hips and exposed her drenched pussy to his hungry gaze. His eyes were pulled from Mikoto's glistening nether lips as he watched her spread his mother's pussy to begin flicking her tongue against his mom's clit.

Naruto's dick lurched from his mother's moan as Mikoto began to eagerly explore her depths in search of the seed that he had planted inside her friend. He reached down and slowly began to stroke his cock, but stopped as Mikoto pulled her lips from his mom's cunt and spreading her pussy said, "None of that now, especially when my pussy is so wet and eager to have you inside it."

Naruto grinned as got up to his knees behind the raven-haired woman and leaned forward to begin licking her snatch. The Uchiha moaned as she returned her attention to using her mouth to pleasure her friend's cunt while the red-head's son did the same to her. She felt her anticipation spike as Naruto pulled away and placed his knees on the outside of her legs as he prepared to enter her by rubbing the head of his cock against her slit. She pulled her face from between Kushina's spread legs and cried out as Naruto pushed his dick inside her. Her cry was muffled by Kushina as she sat up and cupped her face in order to pull her into a kiss.

When their lips separated the red-head stared into Mikoto's face which only showed her contentment at being filled with Naruto's dick so said, "My Honey is amazing, isn't he?"

Mikoto moaned, "Mmmm, you know he is. I barely… barely knew what s.εﾒ was until him."

Kushina nodded, remembering all the times that she knew Mikoto had been frustrated by the lack of effort that her husband had put into their love-life. After all, Mikoto's marriage had been arranged from the day she had been born. Something that Kushina had suspected both Mikoto and Fugaku had resented, but had ultimately gone through with as it tended to be the standard practice of the Uchiha in order to ensure the strength of the Sharingan. It had been determined before she had even emerged from the womb that Mikoto would be a good genetic match with Fugaku, a fact substantiated by the birth of Itachi. But while both of them had loved the children of their union, both Fugaku and Mikoto had never grown beyond the businesslike state that had been the basis of their relationship.

Kushina forgot about such matters as her friend dived back between her legs and began munching on her snatch. The red-headed Uzumaki fell back moaning out the Uchiha's name while her son continued drilling his shaft in and out of the raven-haired woman's quim. Kushina buried her hands into Mikoto's dark locks and began to grind her muff into the woman's mouth.

Mikoto's muffled moans increased as a result of Naruto sliding his hands from her hips and up her stomach underneath her robe to grab her dangling breasts. Squeezing them, he pinched her nipples causing the woman's cunt to bear down on his shaft resulting in him groaning in turn. Leaning forward, he brought his lips to Mikoto's ear to whisper, "Make my mom cum so I can fill you with your reward."

Mikoto groaned her agreement desperately wishing to feel her womb filled with her lover's spunk. Naruto's hands ran back down Mikoto's body to pass over her hips before starting to squeeze and fondle the cheeks of her ass. He groaned as he resisted the desire to plant his cum deep inside the Uchiha. Yet also desiring to witness his mother cum from her friend's cunnilingus, he held off causing his groans to become strained as the need for release became nearly overpowering. As such when his mother cried, "O…oh Miko…. Oh fuck… I'm Cummmminngg!!!!" Naruto buried his shaft into his lover to the hilt in order to spew his seed into her womb.

Mikoto pulled her mouth from Kushina's pussy to let out a cry as she climaxed from the warm thick liquid that the blond Uzumaki flooded her with. Naruto wrapped an arm around her torso pulling her up against his chest and silenced her shout by kissing her.

He felt his just sated lust instantly return as he tasted his mother on the raven-haired woman's lips. Still, he knew that he needed to leave the paradise that was his bedroom and the two women sharing his bed in order to attend to his duties. As such once he felt Mikoto's body relax he extracted his cock from the Uchiha in order to tell his lovers that he needed to go. However, before he even opened his mouth he was tackled back onto the bed and groaned as a tongue began circling around the head of his still sensitive cock.

He groaned before looking down to see his mother's violet eyes staring back at him as she began to work her head back and forth while sucking his length. Letting him slip free of her lips, he didn't get a moments respite as his mother held his dick towards Mikoto who began working her mouth over his manhood as well. His mother smiled up at him saying, "Honey, I'm really going to have to put my foot down and insist that you not leave this bed until Miko and I have taken care of this swelling."

Mikoto smiled as she pulled away allowing Kushina to take his cock into her mouth again before stating, "You're so lucky to have such a kind and loving mother." All Naruto could do was nod his head in agreement before closing his eyes and basking in the feelings passing through him as his mother sucked his cock diligently. However, as she made way for Mikoto and the Uchiha's tongue began joining hers in traveling over his cock while they stared into his eyes lustfully, Naruto had a feeling that he'd be offering his team a Kakashi like excuse for being late as he doubted his cock would be wilting anytime soon.

*****

"I guess you're pawning my training off onto Haku then."

Naruto turned to look at Kiba as the two walked down the path leading away from the training ground they had been using after he had joined them from training with his team, which he had been extremely late too. He supposed he could partially see where Kiba was coming from as he had ended up just watching as the Inuzuka had spared with Haku and after teleporting her back to the mansion, he had returned and could sense Kiba had something on his mind. Figuring the chunin knew he'd lose the chance after reaching the village, Naruto figured he had just blurted his thoughts out without considering how it would sound. The Uzumaki didn't get too riled up, but said a little standoffishly, "I'm sorry, but if I'm not mistaken that woman I pawned you off onto did just spend the past hour schooling you."

"So what you're saying I'm not worth your time," Kiba said heatedly.

Naruto was about to respond in kind, but stopped himself. Taking a calming breath he said, "That's not the reason I've asked Haku to continue with your training."

"Then what is it?" Kiba asked annoyed from his feeling that Naruto viewed training him as unworthy of his efforts.

"In truth it's because I think she'd be a better coach for you than me." Seeing the surprise in Kiba's face at his admission he continued, "After rebuilding your foundation by having you relearn the academy style. It quickly became apparent to me that there weren't a whole lot of places I could take you in your quest to get stronger."

"What do you mean? Right now Haku is having me train in increasing my speed and learning kenjutsu. From what I've seen your speed far outpaces hers, so why do you feel she's a better teacher than you?"

Naruto sighed before admitting, "Because she reached those speeds through her own efforts, while mine is a byproduct of receiving and absorbing the Bijuu chakra of Kiyomi's original form. I can't help you get faster when for me it was literally one moment I had slightly above average speed and the next I could clear a training field in a blink of an eye."

Kiba chuckled as he joked, "Ah, the difficulties of being born special." Naruto laughed good-naturedly as well and although he felt he could point out how earlier in his life he had viewed the unique nature of his birth as a curse, yet all things considered, he found that it was better to focus on the just how good it was to be him currently. "Anyhow," the Inuzuka said as the chuckles died down, "Why didn't you ask me to train you in the Inuzuka style today?"

Naruto shrugged stating, "That's because I feel I've already mastered it to the degree that I needed to."

Kiba's mouth dropped down as he struggled to find the words for a moment before saying, "But we only trained in it for about a week."

"Which is where I learned all the basics and then applied a little shadow clone training to get me proficient enough to use it in a fight. Not that there will be a lot of enemies were it is required for me to use it," Naruto said finding Kiba's open mouth stare amusing. Shrugging he said, "A super-fast training method is just one of those difficult things that those of us born special learn to put up with."

"I guess I walked into that one," Kiba said with a wry smile.

"I would say so," Naruto responded wearing a similar one.

After a moment the Inuzuka shook his head before saying, "Bastard, it really annoys me how much you've improved since the academy."

"Well to be honest I owe a lot of it to my family," Naruto said folding his hands behind his head as they continued to walk. "Being at the head of it really forced me to prioritize what was important to me."

"Is that why you gave up on Sasuke?" Kiba kicked himself mentally as he noticed Naruto wince from the statement so quickly said, "Sorry… that was insensitive of me."

"No, it wasn't," Naruto said after a moment, "Plus it is true in a manner of speaking. A part of me still wants to believe that Sasuke can be saved from what he's become." Kiba's face contorted into a mask of disbelief causing the Uzumaki to state, "It's difficult to put into words, but I kind of feel like I've abandoned him."

"Abandoned him," Kiba said in disbelief, "The fucker tried to kill you that last time you faced each other. Not to mention the shit we went through trying to stop him from going off to join a village run by a man that had made the destruction of Konoha as one of his life's missions."

"I know," Naruto admitted although not nearly as reluctantly as he would have in the past. "Still, some of the women that I'm with worked for Orochimaru themselves." Seeing that Kiba was about to barrage him with counterpoints he held up his hand to stop him before adding, "But, I've realized that it is rather conceited of me to think that I can force Sasuke to change. He choose his path willingly and on some level I have to recognize that he believes in the path that he has chosen just as much as I believe in the one that I have. I came to that conclusion when I watched him attempt to cut down Mikoto. Watching him attempt to kill someone that he should have been happy to have back in his life… I had to recognize that the person I was hoping to return to Konoha had changed and become someone almost unrecognizable to me. He used Karin to find his brother and then discarded her because she fell behind. He traded on her feelings just as he did to the cousin of the Fire Daimyo Naho in order to use her summer home as a base of operations after he attempted to kidnap Killer Bee."

Kiba shrugged before replying, "Look you don't have to convince me that he's a bastard. His selfishness nearly cost me, Akamaru." An amused and conspiratorial grin appeared on his face as he said, "By the way, I couldn't help but notice you sounded rather protective of his mom. Not to mention, Haku seemed impressed that only one woman in your home is not bound to you…" Kiba paused for a moment before blurting out loudly, "Holy shit, you slept with Kurenai-sensei too?"

Naruto winced at the volume before turning to Kiba to say, "Will you keep it down. For fuck sake don't make me regret not letting Kiyomi or Ino wipe your memories."

"What, they can do that?"

"Do you want to find out?"

Kiba lowered his tone before saying, "Sorry, it's just… how could you sleep with her without even telling me?"

"It's not like I need to clear it with you," Naruto said. He mentally sighed figuring he would be receiving another loud outburst so quickly explained, "And for the record I haven't taken Kurenai as a lover."

"Huh… but if what Haku said is…" Naruto saw the light go off behind Kiba's eyes as it dawned on him that if Kurenai wasn't one of Naruto's lovers then that meant the woman he had automatically discounted was. Luckily he had the presence of mind to look around and keep his tone quiet as he said, "You fucked your mom."

"Yes, she is one of my lovers now," Naruto said proudly. Kiba whistled prompting the Uzumaki to ask, "What?"

"I don't know man," Kiba said honestly, "I just find it a little strange how cool you are playing it. That isn't exactly normal."

Naruto shrugged, "My life hasn't exactly ever been normal. Why should my love-life be any different?"

"Still," Kiba trailed off before shrugging as he stated, "Fuck it, if you and your girls are cool with it who am I to meddle."

"Thanks," Naruto said genuinely.

After a moment though, the Inuzuka did ask, "If you are going to take even your mom as a lover than does that mean you plan to seduce Kurenai as well?"

Naruto gave the matter some thought although he hadn't really changed his mind about the matter. But learning that Ino had basically set the plot in motion that had caused him to view his mother as a potential lover he replied, "I really hadn't planned on it. But with that being said, I can't discount the possibility either."

"What's that mean," Kiba said confused. "You either want her for your harem or you don't."

Naruto gave a snort as he replied, "You would think that is the case, but for me that isn't entirely true." Seeing Kiba's disbelief as they neared the village proper the Uzumaki explained, "Take how I ended up with Ku… my mom for example. Although I recognized my mom was beautiful, passionate, and caring. It didn't really occur to me that she was also a woman with needs."

Of course you wouldn't she's your mom." Kiba nearly regretted his statement as he saw the amused smirk appear on Naruto's face which told him the blond was considering pointing out he was also his mother's lover. Beating him to the punch, he said, "Don't even bother, I realize you're in a relationship with my mom and can see where you're going. But if you didn't see your mom as a woman in the same way that you've seen others then how did you end up banging her?"

Naruto scowled as he stated, "It's deeper than me just sleeping with her."

"Sure, I know that," Kiba said dismissively, "but I'm not focusing on that. I'm wondering about how your point on you not seeing your mom as a potential lover, ties into the fact that you not targeting Kurenai-sensei means she might jump into your bed is somehow outside of your control."

"Oh right," the Uzumaki said before getting back on track. "I guess the best way to explain it is that I was forced to confront the fact my mom was a woman with needs and wanted me to satisfy them by Ino."

"Ino," Kiba said incredulously having a difficult time imagining the Yamanaka kunoichi that had obsessed over Sasuke to the point that she had thrown away friendships as someone who would be inviting other women into the bed that she shared with the Uzumaki. However, he was forced to admit that it had been a while since he had interacted with the kunoichi and from the changes he had seen in his mother, understood that there was something special about Naruto which caused women to gravitate to him. Still he found it rather hard to believe it was often the women themselves pulling others into his orbit.

Naruto hearing the disbelief gave an amused smile as he said, "I know it's hard to believe. Sometimes I find it strange myself, but in this case I know what it is that Ino is hoping to achieve."

"Which is?"

"A place where she's free to be with me as a lover," Naruto answered. Explaining further he stated, "I've asked a lot of my lovers, and ultimately we hope to build a world where we can live together happily. However, the sad truth is that we might never be able to come forward to admit the bonds we share to the world… at least not for a very long time."

"Why not," Kiba asked, "I mean I found out and…"

"Freaked the fuck out," Naruto said somewhere between joking and serious.

Kiba colored slightly from embarrassment at his actions while admitting, "Okay, maybe I'm not the best example that you could use."

"That's putting it mildly," Naruto said laughing as Kiba grew annoyed from his teasing. Growing serious, he continued, "But the truth is your response is one I think would be the norm. Thus far we've been rather lucky in that the few that know our secret seem willing to keep it. Yet, imagine if the Raikage finds out that Mabui, his assistant, is not only feeding me information, but also presents information that she hands him in a way that it influences him to make decisions beneficial to our goals."

"You make it sound like you are manipulating people," Kiba said concerned.

"We are in a sense," Naruto said gravely, "We are the force acting behind the scenes trying to guide the villages and countries to a path of peace. Yet, no matter how noble the end goal, people are never happy to find out they've been influenced without their knowledge. So imagine if the world finds out that behind the scenes there has been a group doing exactly that."

Kiba thought the matter over seriously for a moment before answering, "I guess they'd reject the end results of that manipulation no matter how good it turned out to be."

"I think that most would," Naruto said with a hint of melancholy. "Because of that even should we achieve our ambition, my lovers and I will never be able to come forward and…"

"And because of that Ino is influencing those inside your home to become your lovers so that she can at least be with you there like a family." When Naruto nodded, the Inuzuka asked, "But I thought you had that underground area for such occasions."

"The Den is such a place," Naruto replied, "Yet, at the same time so long as Kurenai doesn't know our secret my lovers and I have to pretend we are just friends. Having to play make believe while enjoying dinner or just walking through the halls kind of makes the Hidden Eddy Inn less of the home it was intended to be. There's a different vibe when it's just my Family present then when a person that isn't a part of it is around. Ino just doesn't want to pretend anymore when she's in what she views as her home."

Kiba wasn't sure how comfortable he was with the idea that at some point his teacher might join Naruto's family. Particularly since it seemed that if she did, it would simply be so Ino could get her way so asked, "But how can you say that you aren't interested in her, but then turn around and tell me you'd care for her if she became you're lover."

"Don't get confused Kiba," Naruto said quickly. "There's a difference between sleeping with her, and being interested in her."

"I know that."

"Do you?"

"Yes," Kiba said sincerely. But a moment later he explained, "It's just you sound kind of indifferent about it."

"I don't mean to be," Naruto said, "But like I mentioned, I've made no plans in regards to Kurenai. Right now, I have a bunch of shit running through my head. I've got my upcoming mission to The of Rice Paddies to try and figure out a solution to the massive uptick in bandit activity going on there. Not to mention it appears that someone has replicated the Chakra Armor that Snow developed while Doto was in charge. Plus there are the lingering questions of what exactly Tobi is up to while trying to recover from the damage that we did to his plans, or what plots people like Kabuto are enacting. That doesn't even go into all the other things that I've learned and might have to get involved in at some point."

"Things like what?"

"Like this cult that has sprung up thanks in part to the Black Kyuubi," Naruto answered. "Kiyomi seems quite sure that there is something more there than just a group of people trying to find answers from the appearance of a new Bijuu."

Kiba hated to admit it, but he had difficulty seeing Naruto as the fool that he had been in the academy. Moreover, seeing him fret over concerns that he was not even aware existed forced Kiba to admit that should his teacher chose Naruto as a lover then she would be in good hands. Hoping to perhaps prove his own lovers had chosen someone just as upstanding as well as to help a friend out he asked, "How can I help?"

Naruto returned to the present as he let his worries about the future fade and replied, "I appreciate it, but…"

"Are you saying I can't be on any help?"

"No, it's just I wouldn't be sure how you could and I'm not sure it's worth you…"

"How about you let me decide what its worth for me to get involved in?" Kiba said appreciating Naruto's trying to protect him from the greater concerns his ambition had exposed him to. But he knew turning a blind eye in order to live in ignorance wasn't going to make him or his mates safer.

Naruto smirked before saying with a shrug, "Fine, but don't come crying to me if you come to regret it. Tell your mom and sis that you want to accompany them to tomorrow's gathering."

Reaching the part of the village where they would go their separate ways, Naruto turned down his street giving him a wave over his shoulder. Kiba lingered a moment as he wondered just what effect of stepping into the larger events going on in the world would have on him, and ultimately if he would be able to shoulder the responsibility as well as Naruto. Yet, he quickly realized that Naruto wasn't doing so alone, so knew with the help of his mates that he'd prove equal to the task.

*****

Yuugao appeared on the teleportation seal along with Ibiki. The two had used the seal in her office which only appeared when activated by a woman bearing a foxmark. Stepping off of it, she entered into the main hall of the Den with the jounin right behind her. He slowed a moment as he took in his surroundings before stating, "So this is the little Den of Debauchery that Naruto's established for himself."

"It's much more than that," Yuugao replied tersely before quickly moving towards the war room.

The scarred man frowned noticing how as of late the Anbu captain appeared rather tense, not to mention had been rather ferocious in her pursuit of leads in order to learn more about the massive shadow organization that managed the bounty system that most criminals used to have people they wanted dead eliminated. Unfortunately, after months of shutting down the bounty collection agencies located throughout Fire Country and few outside of it, she was no closer to anything remotely concrete in terms of how the bounties were placed and how the organization behind it was run. Ibiki knew the reason why her attitude was so fierce lately, as Naruto being captured during the incident in Vegetable had obviously scared the woman. The special Jounin doubted the purple-haired woman even truly realized just how much she had come to care for the Uzumaki, and as such probably failed to see just how much her recent actions were due to those feelings. But Ibiki did, primarily through the battered men she ended up sending his way to interrogate. Often all it had taken to loosen the men's tongues was the threaten them that he would give Yuugao five minutes alone with the men where she would be free to employ whatever methods she wished. Still, despite the effectiveness of the method, sadly none of the Bounty Collection officers they had questioned seemed to be in possession of anything remotely useful.

Instead what they had learned was enough to make even him feel slightly nervous. The collection offices had no idea where the bounties came from either. Instead, every month a new death book, as the collection workers called them, would be sent to the various locations. Inside would be any new bounties that had been placed as well as updates on old ones that had yet to be collected. Also detailed inside would be what criteria needed to be met in order for a bounty to be paid out. It was then the job of these branch locations to get the word out about the new offers and how to collect them.

On the surface appeared like it ran similar to most criminal or even military organizations with various tasks needed to run the operation being compartmentalized to prevent things from falling into disarray should one office be taken out. However, what was truly impressive about the group running the Bounty system was that there didn't seem to be any links leading further up the chain. One thing that they had learned though was that each office seemed to be an independent criminal franchise on its own, almost like they were a restaurant chain. However, unlike a restaurant chain where a person could backtrack how the larger corporation supported each franchise. In this case though, the threads that tied the offices together, with not only the money needed to payout the various bounties, but the people placing the bounties still remained stubbornly undiscovered. To Ibiki this seemed to suggest that the group behind it was one of two things. The first would be a small tight knit band of criminals and thus easily limited the amount of information they put out for people like Yuugao and him to track. Or, it was an extremely large group that was tremendously good at hiding themselves, almost like the secret societies that conspiracy theorists came up with and linked everything from random robberies that they believed were actually crimes of much greater importance to, or believed were behind various political assassinations.

Naturally, his knowledge of Naruto's harem and their actions forced Ibiki to realize that such things were possible. To that end, he had been searching into such groups and believed if one was behind the Bounty System it would be a group known as the Shadow Cabal. From what Ibiki had been able to learn the Shadow Cabal was a group comprised of criminals, but on an order larger than anything he had yet to encounter before. It was said that its members ranged from corrupt political figures to the heads of even shinobi villages. Even large criminal groups such as Shadowloo were said to be under their sway, if not their direct control. To that end, Ibiki believed that if the Shadow Cabal existed then they functioned as sort of a criminal enabler providing the services that criminal groups needed to help ensure their own operations ran smoothly.

For example, the Bounty System allowed these groups to eliminate threats to their organizations, such as prosecutors who were going after high ranking members, without the fear of reprisal. After all, if it couldn't be proved that a person had been killed as a murder for hire. Or even if it could, but it couldn't be proven that the person suspected of having it done was behind the crime since there was no money trail to follow, then there was no way the person's guilt could be determined. That did leave a great deal of questions for Ibiki though since in his experience when pushed most criminals gave up the ghost in order to save themselves. That in itself should have provided a few chances to expose the network, but the complete absence of any such revelations truly spooked him. It meant that the Shadow Cabal was so good at hiding itself that throughout history most of its members in possession of relevant information have never been caught or even if they had, never let slip so much as a whisper of information about the group. Of course with that being the case, Ibiki had been forced to ask how had people even heard of the Shadow Cabal in the first place, but ultimately had to admit that the rumors and such he had tracked down so far were just that.

Yuugao pulled him out of his thoughts as she asked, "Have we learned anything of value about who supplied the stalker with the Chakra Armor?"

"I don't know," Ibiki replied, "It was my understanding that was going to be one of the items being discussed."

"I see," Yuugao said letting a flash of worry appear.

"Is everything alright?" Ibiki asked concerned for the woman as he knew how hard her previous lover's death had been on her.

"No, and they won't be until I find the bastards that hired Sora to come after Naruto," she replied angrily.

Before Ibiki could reply she stopped in front of a door, and pushing it open stepped inside. Ibiki stopped at the doorway for a moment shocked at some of those gathered. Naturally, he had expected Kiyomi and Tsunade to be present, but had been shocked that some women he hadn't even considered to be possible love interests to the blond Uzumaki were there as well.

He took a seat at the large round table that housed not just Naruto and several of his lovers inside Konoha, but also high ranking members from countries outside of it. It wasn't just women tied to Naruto either, as also present were Kakashi, Gaara, Kiba, and Hanare. Naruto leaned forward from where he was sitting between Tsunade and his mother in order to say, "I'm glad everyone could make it. We've all been looking into some of the recent events that have happened so I figure it might be a good idea to compare notes. Anyone want to start things off?"

Yuugao surprised Ibiki as she said angrily, "Yes, can you explain to me what the hell she is doing here?"

Ibiki turned his attention to the marooned haired woman that was sitting next to Kiyomi. He could feel Yuugao's desire to attack the woman, but it faded as Naruto said, "Kiyomi brought her hoping that she could perhaps share some insights into the why we're hitting dead ends in pursuing the bounty office angle in regards to who wants my head."

Ibiki sensed Yuugao tense in frustration at the reminder of her failure, although he noticed that Naruto had made sure to make it feel as if it was an obstacle experienced by the group and not any single member of it. Gaining a better understanding of just why the blond man was so popular, the special jounin took a seat asking, "I take it she has some experience in these matters."

"She's the bitch that was helping Sora," Yuugao said keeping her angry glare locked on Fuka.

"I was under the impression…" Ibiki began looking towards Kushina's whose body he had learned used to belong to one of Sora's old team before Naruto implanted his mother's spirit into it, and as such had become an exact replica of her old one. He trailed off though remembering how one of the members wasn't mentioned in any of the official reports. "Ah, this is the mysterious house guest that you mentioned… the one that used to be just a pile of hair."

Kiyomi nodded stating, "That's the one. But before we get into that, I think it would be best to start off with what Shiho has learned as she has already translated the tablet that I've uncovered. Unfortunately it did not contain any details about these Descendants of the Moon, but I shall let her explain."

Shiho stood before speaking, "Luckily, I was able to able to translate it so quickly due to prior research into the clans talked about on the tablet."

"You make it sound like there are more than just the Uchiha, and Senju being talked about on it," Koharu said surprised.

"It does indeed," Shiho replied excitedly, "This tablet also pertains to the Hyuuga."

"Really," Tsunade said in interest, "Although the rivalry between the Hyuuga and Uchiha was pretty well known. I'm not all that familiar with my own clan's past interactions with them."

Shiho nodded quickly feeling a bit like a history professor as she moved to a wall where she had hung blown up photos of the Tablet in order to explain certain portions of the tale it told. Moving to one, she said. "I'm not surprised. In the grand scheme of the warring clan era and before, the Hyuuga was a clan that interacted very rarely with others."

"Yes," Mito stated, "It was quite the shock when they agreed to accept Hashirama's invitation to join the village. Especially as one of the few clans that they can be said to have had a genuine animosity to were the Uchiha."

Shiho nodded, before using a pointer to draw everyone's attention to a photo showing the bottom of the tablet. Recognizing a yin-yang symbol surrounded by kanji she stated, "I believe this tablet tells the story of that animosity. Furthermore this symbol denotes that the author of this tablet was a member of the Hyuuga back when they called themselves the Hamura clan."

"What?" Rangiku said having been born with the meeting up to that point.

"What is the significance of that name?" Kakashi asked noting the Bijuu's reaction.

"It was apparently the name of the Sage of the Six Path's brother," Shiho answered having received the information from the Bijuu present when she had given Kiyomi her report.

"How did I miss that last time?" Rangiku asked having been present at the time.

"Perhaps next time you should try and stay awake," Yoruichi answered amused.

Rangiku was about to retort, but Kiyomi stepped in saying, "Please continue Shiho."

The member of the Konoha Cryptanalysis Department nodded before resuming, "Thanks to the Bijuu, we also know that the Uchiha clan were the descendants of one of the Sage's sons who went by the name Indra. At this point in time they were still indeed called the Indra clan, while the Senju had already adopted the name we know them by today."

"Why?"

Shiho shrugged from her lover's question, but giving a theory she held said, "In ancient times many of the clans were comprised of people that would follow a particular individual. The followers of that person would then take the given name of said individual."

"So the first followers of Indra took his given name as their family name," Naruto said in understanding. "But then why would the Senju have changed theirs?"

"Typically," Tsunade explained, "it would be due to some massive calamity that wiped out most of the members. Those that then banded together would likely take the given name of the person that held the group together in order to symbolize their new beginning. In a sense it's the opposite of what has happened to the Senju in the village. After the founding of Konoha most of my clan gave up their names to mix with the population and live a peaceful coexistence. Those that kept it, instead followed my grandfather's path of protecting the village." Focusing on Shiho the Hokage stated, "I'm guessing from the fact that it details a convergence of three clans which can trace their roots back to the Sage means this tablet isn't about how they got along well together."

"No, in fact this tablet mentions several other clans with ties to either the Sage or his brother," Shiho answered. "It in fact states that most of them were wiped out by the Indra Clan, although as the existence of Sora proves there may have been a few survivors."

"Why would the ancestors of my clan wage a war to wipe out other descendants of the Sage or his family?" Mikoto asked with a frown.

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure exactly." Shiho said, "The author of the tablet did have several theories. It explains that the man that your clan would take the name of in the aftermath of the events it describes began a war against all those claiming blood to the Sage."

"Wait, so you are saying this tablet depicts the History of Uchiha himself," Mikoto said shocked.

Shiho inclined her head before asking, "I am curious, you sound rather surprised by that. Did your clan not have any records about him?"

Mikoto shook her head before explaining, "No, it was strange but it was as if all traces of his history had been expunged."

"Then why would the Uchiha take his name?" Naruto asked confused.

"Likely as a means of never forgetting how he nearly ruined them, or as an act of contrition for the horrors he committed."

Mikoto looked shocked as she said, "Horrors."

Shiho nodded gravely as she explained, "Uchiha didn't just try to wipe out all those tied to his ancestors through blood. He would take the women as slaves to breed them, and for the warriors he defeated…."

Naruto noticed that Shiho was turning a little green so asked concerned, "Are you alright?"

"Y…yeah," Shiho said sounding like she was trying not to retch. Getting control of herself she said, "The fate that awaited the strong warriors that he defeated was to be consumed by him."

"You're saying he fucking ate them?" Kiba exclaimed.

His lover Yuffie quickly said, "That's what being consumed means."

"I…I know what it means," Kiba said annoyed.

"Well it was a big word so I just wanted to let you know that you were right," Yuffie replied with a smirk.

"Hey…"

Naruto cut Kiba retort off as he said, "Hey you two, if you want to sit at the adult table you need to behave." Earning a pair of apologies from the two the Uzumaki smiled before focusing on Shiho to ask, "Okay, why the fuck was he eating them?"

"Naruto language," Kushina said quickly.

"Sorry," Naruto said quickly easily telling his mother wasn't fooling around.

Shiho felt the tension from her revelation fade due to the lightness introduced so said, "Well the author's theory believed that Uchiha was attempting to unlock the full power of the Sage. Back then some cultures did believe that by consuming an enemy they would inherit their power."

"So how was he stopped?" Koharu asked.

"Those clans that survived his onslaught banded together and attempted to wipe the Indra clan from the face of the earth," Shiho replied. "Obviously they failed, but the clan that emerged was called the Uchiha from that point on."

Tsunade nodded but then looking at Kiyomi said, "I remember you hoping that the tablet was somehow tied to the black Zetsu creature. It doesn't sound like it was."

"I'm afraid not," Kiyomi said with a note of disappointment. Indicating towards the photo which depicted where she had used charcoal to cover half of the carving of a man in black due to the raised edge on the right side, she added, "However, before Uchiha began his reign of terror it turns out that he was noted as a man of peace."

"Considering what we've heard I find that hard to believe?" Yuugao stated.

"True, it does seem rather hard to swallow," Shiho said stepping in, "but, apparently just before his change in attitude he grew suddenly ill and according to the tablet, he may have even perished. The man that emerged from that illness was said to have half the skin on his body look as black as obsidian. To the Indra Clan, it was taken as proof that he had been chosen by the Sage to reawaken the power that had sealed the ten tails."

"I don't know," Naruto said, "That kind of sounds like that one Zetsu that was half white and black to me."

Kiyomi smiled but countered, "True, but the tablet didn't make any mention of there being a separate personality or anything. While I would like to believe my theory is correct about him. This tablet doesn't offer me that proof. What it does point out though is that we need more information? Unfortunately, outside of just searching old tombs and ruins, I'm not sure where we can perhaps go to get it."

"I do," Mikoto said suddenly. She paused as she realized the gravity of what she was doing since she knew what she intended to reveal would be the final betrayal against her clan. But looking around at the various women and man that she was bound to, she knew she was now an Uchiha in name only. She had a new family and the information locked beneath the Uchiha district would help protect it of that she was sure. Taking a deep breath she said, "Beneath Naka Shrine there is a stone monument that rumors state were written by the Sage of the Six Paths himself. Unfortunately, I do not know if that is true or not."

"Why are you only telling us this now?" Tsume said angrily.

"Back off, Tsume" Kushina said just as heatedly.

Mikoto though placed a restraining hand on Kushina to state, "I know that I should have come forward sooner. But… this has been one of the most closely guarded secrets of my cla… the Uchiha. I… I'm not revealing this lightly. In essence this is the greatest betrayal to the Uchiha that I could commit."

Tsume did appear rather ashamed at her outburst upon the revelation, but didn't apologize as she leaned back in her chair. Focusing on the Bijuu she explained, "I cannot verify the truth of the monuments origins. To even begin to read it one must have the Sharingan. It does state that should one unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan then more would be revealed, but I'm afraid that is an ability beyond me."

"How can you be sure?" Naruto asked. "If it's a matter of training then I'm sure you could easily reach it."

Mikoto smiled at her lover, basking in the genuine belief that he had in her abilities. Something she had never received from her husband as even though she was the much more accomplished shinobi having become a jounin faster than him and been invited to join the Anbu division; she had been pressured by him to put her career on hold in order to provide him and the clan with heirs. And while she had found being a mother far more rewarding than being a shinobi, it was nice to now have someone that recognized her strength as well as encouraged her to grow stronger.

"Unfortunately, according to the stone monument in order to unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan you must kill your best friend."

Kushina smiled as she said, "I think we can all agree that is off the table."

"I don't know," Kiyomi said with an air of amusement, "We could just resurrect you afterwards."

Kushina looked annoyed at the Bijuu that she used to contain but smiled as Naruto said, "No, we most certainly can't."

Hearing the seriousness in her lover's tone the Bijuu said, "I was only kidding." Although, she did mumble just loud enough for him to hear, "Well mostly kidding."

Naruto did chuckle as he looked at Mikoto to ask, "Is there anything else of value on the stone worth mentioning?"

"I'm afraid not," Mikoto stated, "But, it does promise answers that will lead to the salvation of the Uchiha clan."

Kiyomi having grown serious once more said, "I find that hard to believe."

Mikoto frowned and was about to ask if it was because of the Bijuu's dislike of the clan she hailed from. However, Naruto leaned forward in interest to ask, "What do you mean?"

Looking to Shiho for a moment she nodded and the woman explained, "I believe Kiyomi is referring to how when I went into greater depths of the events recorded on the tablet; it mentioned that he had awakened a great power shortly before his illness. Power that he supposedly attained some time after being forced to kill a close friend."

Konan frowned as she said, "That's seems to be a rather strange omission from you report."

"Well to be honest, I didn't exactly think it relevant as the tablet pointed out that what caused their falling out was Uchiha friend's desire to resume a long standing grudge against an enemy clan. Ironically it was one of the first to be destroyed by him when he emerged from his illness. If I had the knowledge that a condition for achieving some kind of Sharingan Upgrade was killing a friend I would have included it" Shiho said sounding slightly defensive.

"It might not actually be the killing of the friend though," Kakashi stated. "It might be related to the emotions that one experiences when doing so. That might explain how I unlocked it. I was always unsure of how or when, but it might have been when I killed the fake Rin."

"That is indeed possible," Mikoto said with a tone that hinted at her belief that it wasn't the whole story as it didn't exactly fit with the History of her clan.

Picking up on it Tsunade asked, "You don't sound convinced. Care to elaborate?"

Mikoto gave the matter some thought before explaining, "Shortly after the founding of the village there was a rash of Uchiha that suddenly developed the Mangekyō Sharingan. However, despite what the stone stated was the means of activating it. These Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't be traced back to the deaths of close friends or loved ones."

"How can you be sure?" Ibiki asked.

"The Uchiha closely monitored any members of the Clan who lost family or close acquaintances under mysterious circumstances," The Uchiha kunoichi explained, "When Shisui died, it triggered a secret investigation into those close to him. Due to Itachi's growing discontent with the planned coup d'état the investigation focused primarily on him. He was cleared of any wrong doing, but in hindsight it is possible that he might have been involved, but I can't believe that. Both Shisui and Itachi loved Konoha."

"Danzou's notes would seem to suggest as much," Ibiki informed the group. "He researched the Sharingan rather extensively and seemed particularly desirous of Shisui's. It seems that he had also developed this Mangekyō Sharingan, and with it an ability known as Kotoamatsukami."

"How did you know that?" Mikoto asked surprised.

"It is all laid out in the files we liberated from Danzou after assaulting his compound," Ibiki replied. "Apparently, Kotoamatsukami grants the user the ability to practically rewrite a person's will. It's so effective that the target wouldn't even know it had been used on him."

"I don't know about that," Naruto said remembering getting hit by the technique, "it felt like I was being rewritten when Danzou used it against me."

"Likely only because I stopped it from doing so Honey," Kushina said. "Do you still have the eye Miko?"

The raven haired woman nodded before explaining, "It's still tucked away. I know I should destroy it, but…"

"I think we are getting a little off track here," Koharu said. "Naruto has entrusted you with that eye and so I for one believe should an occasion arise for you to use it. You will do so wisely. Plus, we have no need to try and force a mutation of Mikoto's Sharingan as we have Kakashi. He can inspect this stone to see if there is more recorded there."

"Glad to be of service," Kakashi quipped. Letting the jovialness slip out of his voice he said, "There is one question that I have. Who did Shisui kill for him to unlock his enhanced Sharingan abilities?"

"According to him, no one," Mikoto answered.

"How is that possible?" Tsume said confused. "Is killing those close to you a requirement, or isn't it?"

"I do not know," Mikoto admitted. "There is some… confusion about it. Shisui activated his Mangekyō Sharingan to protect his comrades. It had been the first time someone had done so since…"

"Madara," Tsunade supplied.

Mikoto shook her head in the negative before stating, "No. Madara and his brother had been the first in a while to be sure. But there were quite a few Mangekyō Sharingan around the founding of Konoha. How Toka was sent to the future is but one example and perhaps further proof that the stone monument is misleading. Actually there were a group of Mangekyō Sharingan users that much like Shsui spontaneously developed their abilities and claimed it was from a strong desire to protect others."

Naruto's brow creased in thought before asking, "I don't get it. Why would this monument say to use such a horrible means to gain these abilities when there was another?"

Mikoto shrugged unsure herself before answering, "I'm not sure. I suppose because throughout history killing someone close to you was a surefire way to unlock it, while the other method was far less likely to produce results."

"Still you would think more people would try," Koyuki said having remained silent until now.

"I think if it is the emotions and not so much the actions that are the key, then a person hoping to use the protection route really needs to not desire the Mangekyō Sharingan. Their only goal should be the desire to protect those precious to them," Naruto said.

Mikoto smiled at the earnestness in her lover's words, "That is most likely the case."

"So whatever happened to these Uchiha that gained the Mangekyō Sharingan during the early days of Konoha," Koharu asked having never heard of it before although she had been a genin at the time.

Mikoto frowned as her tone grew grave before stating, "They ended up destroying themselves. It was shortly after the founding that the First Shinobi World War broke out. That was also when they developed the Mangekyō Sharingan, and most of them had a rather rare ability to use a jutsu called Izanagi. It allowed the castor to effectively rewrite events to their liking. As such their squad became nearly unstoppable. Sadly, they became their own worst enemies. They became drunk on their abilities and overused the technique resulting in most going blind since it could only be cast a limited number of times or for one long duration. It eventually reached a point where they began slaughtering each other, but it ended when a woman named Naori created a counter to Izanagi called Izanami. It effectively trapped a person using Izanagi in a genjutsu which repeated over and over until the one trapped learned to accept their fate. She used this jutsu to rescue a friend that had been caught up in the power that he felt from being able to defy fate."

"Did she save him?" Naruto asked earnestly.

"For a time," Mikoto replied sadly, "Naori ended up losing her vision in the eye that she had used to cast her jutsu. However, the friend she saved still had a few chances to use Izanagi and ultimately when the odds turned against him it proved too much a temptation to resist. She tried to stop him again, and thought that she had reached him only for her to turn her back on him in the midst of a battle, and he ended up stabbing her in it for trying to impede what he felt was his right."

"What happened to him?" Naruto asked having a decent idea.

"Eventually he over used his eyes and his vision faded. At that point he was unable to alter his fate any further and was overpowered and killed by the enemies he faced," Mikoto said recalling the tale. She felt a sense of melancholy that a lot of the story reflected the ultimate fate of the Uchiha. It might not have been a jutsu that allowed one to rewrite history, but her clan had shown the same arrogance in their abilities as those that has used Izanagi. Rather than learning the lessen Naori had tried to pass along to her friend about accepting fate and if one wished to change it to find another means. Her clan had trusted in their eyes and abilities far too much and as such had set down a path to change their fate similarly to those that had used Izanagi. That was what the rebellion was all about after all, forcefully asserting their own desires onto the village.

Mikoto wondered what might have been had the Uchiha tried to follow the path Naori had laid out as a wave of sadness crashed upon her. She felt a hand grab hers and looked over to see Kushina having likely sensed the direction of her thoughts had reached out to her. The simple gesture seemed far more intimate now than it had in the past due to what and who they now shared. Her eyes moved past the red-head to settle on her son, and Mikoto smiled seeing that he was holding his mother's hand and in essence the two were supporting her. The Uchiha realized that she would get to see what would happen when people changed fate through work and effort when they completed their task of changing the fate of the Shinobi world. Looking forward to the day, she gave Kushina's hand a squeeze to let her know that she was feeling better a gesture that she was sure was passed onto Naruto.

Mikoto's focus was pulled away from the two Uzumaki as Kiyomi sat back in her chair. She crossed her legs looking every bit like a queen as she returned the topic to the monument underneath the shrine, "It might be possible to skip to the end chapter of what is written on that stone."

"How do you know there would be more written on the stone?"

Responding to the de-aged elder's question the nine-tailed Bijuu answered, "It seems that whoever created the monument desired for the person to develop the Sharingan to its next level. They also gave out instructions on a rather specific method to go about achieving the Mangekyō Sharingan. Yet, our discussion here would seem to imply there might be more than one."

Naruto was unsure where his former tenant was going so asked, "Meaning?"

"Meaning," Ibiki said, surprising a few as he stepped in believing he knew where the fox was heading and wanting to test the theory he had formed upon hearing of the stone monument and what it had written, "the instructions listed there were meant to appeal to a certain type of individual. That was why the Uchiha investigated into any who unlocked it after all. A person whiling to kill his closest friend for power is capable of almost everything and anything."

Naruto nodded feeling the part of his chest where Sasuke had used Chidori on him ache as if to remind him of the truth behind Ibiki's statement. The interrogator looked towards the red-headed Bijuu to ask, "I'm guessing that you think the next level of writing uncovered by a Mangekyō Sharingan would have instructions on how to unlock it further."

"What would be the next step?" Naruto asked looking towards Mikoto.

"I'm not sure," Mikoto replied after thinking for a moment, "Perhaps a means to combat the weaknesses of it."

"She's talking about the blindness one experiences from using certain techniques," Kakashi answered. Seeing that a few people required him to explain he continued, "When I first began to use Kamui. I noticed a strain was placed on my eye. During our mission to rescue Gaara from Akatsuki, I asked Itachi about it. He realized that I had gained it, but his reaction also let me know that he was experiencing the same."

"That is a good guess," Mikoto said, "If I remember correctly Madara did go blind for a time until he took his brother's eyes as he had also unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"Are you still experiencing a loss of vision?" Tsunade asked concerned for one of her subordinates. "You've been training it an awful lot lately."

"Not any further. It appears this other use for Kamui doesn't have the same drawbacks as using it defensively would."

Tsunade nodded at the reply, allowing Gaara to state, "Still, I don't see how Kiyomi believes we could skip to the end of what is recorded on the monument. Even should Kakashi be able to read the next level of instructions, we would be short of the item needed to advance it further."

"I thought you had that Shisui's eye and if he had the evolved Sharingan. Couldn't you just give it to Kakashi to use however the stone explains?"

Answering Kiba, the Kazekage replied, "Unless what is required isn't so much the Mangekyō Sharingan but the act of taking it from a loved one. The previous set of instruction would seem to suggest this would be the likely case."

"True," Kiyomi said, "But what if all this is…"

"Necessary to unlocking father's eyes," Rangiku said excitedly having reached the conclusion since she had admit that she had been lapsing in and out of boredom. "Which means you can have your daughter Sage look at it."

"Very good," Kiyomi said, before adding teasingly, "Do you see what happens when you try?"

Rangiku beamed before thinking she was being teased for her earlier admission. She let it go though as she wondered how a person could even create a stone monument that could only be read by unlocking levels of the Sharingan and then having the Rinnegan. But what truly bothered her, she put into words stating, "The only person that could write such instructions would have been father. But he would never advocate killing friends or maiming family to be granted such knowledge. If those were the only ways then he would have never left it behind."

"Unless father didn't write it," Yoruichi suggested, "Perhaps…"

"Perhaps we are getting ahead of ourselves," Kiyomi said to her two siblings. "At present we are not even sure the Rinnegan would allow Sage to read it. This might have been something the Uchiha or Indra himself might have created. He would certainly have had no problem doing either if it meant increasing his power. That was why father passed him over for Asura, despite his eldest inheriting most of his power and talent."

"I suppose we'll know more if Sage can read it," Tsunade said, "Do you plan to retrieve her?"

"Not right now," Kiyomi said, "She's currently finishing up the task that she set for herself of returning the dead summons that Pain used. Naruko is also with her, so once they appear to be returning I will teleport them both back to Konoha."

"Alright," Tsunade said, "The secret on that stone has kept for a while so there is no need to rush. In the meantime, Kakashi and Mikoto can read it in order to gain a better understanding of what it says, and to perhaps learn if pervious instructions are visible to those reading it. It would do us little good for Sage to read it if everything that came before isn't available to us."

"Agreed," Naruto said putting his stamp of approval on the idea. Focusing on, Mabui he asked, "Has there been any luck in breaking Gantestsu or his associate?"

"I'm afraid not," Mabui answered her disappointment easy to see. "Our interrogators have put a great deal of pressure on him, but unfortunately he seems rather determined to play on the idea that he is a pawn. He's now claiming that he didn't even want to kill Aisha. That he suddenly had some compulsion to do so."

"That may not be as crazy as it sounds," Hanare said leaning forward as she explained her theory. "Over the past two weeks I've done a little further digging and have refined my theory somewhat."

"Are you saying you were wrong," Mabui said sounding slightly worried. "Lord Raikage agreed to install you as the commander of the J.A.I.N. division precisely because your theory was sound despite what Gantetsu is claiming. If you tell him now that you were wrong it might cause him to…"

"I'm not saying that I was wrong," Hanare assured the woman. "Only that my initial theory was based more on Gantetsu's actions then those who may have been manipulating him."

"But you are convinced that he was being manipulated," Naruto said concerned. "Why manipulate a small time gangster to kill his star attraction?"

Hanare smiled as Naruto provided the angle to explain her latest ideas behind the incident, "Why indeed. Especially as you point out Aisha was his star attraction. Having been allowed access to his entertainment companies finances I determined that none of the other performers under contract to him had nearly the same draw as Aisha did. My initial belief was that Gantetsu was tired of dealing with a moderately popular idol who was proving to be more trouble than she was worth. But rather than fire her and let her talent be used by the competition he planned to kill her in order to temporarily boost sales via the attention drawn to her murder. It still fits, but not as well when one considers just how popular she was in the Land of Lightning, and the fact that his music label didn't have anyone comparably close. I believe Aisha's dream of being an idol that could play to sold out crowds outside of Lightning led her to forget that it is exceedingly rare for singers to have that broad crossover appeal. Yet, while Gantetsu might have felt if anyone could achieve it she could. I do feel he didn't have that kind of faith in any of his other talent."

Mabui could see where the woman was coming from so said, "I'm guessing then you already made plans to tell the Raikage about your thoughts. But what motive would there be for someone to put such a compulsion to kill Aisha in his head?"

"Unfortunately I can think of a half dozen of them right off the bat," Ibiki said quickly. "A rival performer wishing to take her place could have hired a genjutsu expert to do as much. Or even a rival music company hoping to hurt a rival. Then there are the bigger possibilities…"

"Like providing a testing ground for the new chakra armor someone is developing by getting before and after battle data against a strong opponent," Hanare said cutting to the chase confident it would have been a theory Ibiki listed. Receiving the man's impressed nod, she explained for those not quite up to speed, "This being a test by some third player is an idea that I find does make the most sense when we compare all the variables." Advertisements

"I don't know," Tayuya said from next to Koyuki. "Nyau was just a sick fuck who got off on gutting women and taking their faces. The little bastard gave me the creeps when we were training to use genjutsu based on sound. He even threatened me once." She smiled darkly as she said, "He spent several months in traction for doing so, but I always had the feeling the asshole was bidding his time to one day try again."

Hanare nodded in agreement. "True, and thanks to you we now know he was indeed a member of the Sound Village under Orochimaru. It is also likely where he gained that ability to turn into a musclebound bruiser. However, Orochimaru has been dead for a few years now due to Sasuke's betrayal, so where has he been all this time? Men like this don't just go quiet, so it is likely he joined some other group. A group where his atrocities would just be a small part of the horrors being unleashed."

"Do you have proof?" Tsunade asked causing the woman to shake her head in the negative.

"I'm afraid not, as part of the report about my new theory that I planned to give to not just the Raikage, but you and Lord Gaara as well. I was going to ask that your intelligence divisions relook into massacres committed by criminal groups where a person taking another's face might just have been one of many gruesome details."

"That would make sense," Ibiki said trying to think of any cases he might be aware of that matched.